WEBVTT 00:01.740 --> 00:03.450 - [Announcer] Ladies and gentlemen, 00:03.450 --> 00:08.370 please welcome Secretary of Defense, James M. Mattis 00:08.370 --> 00:13.370 and the Vice-President of the United States, Michael Pence. 00:13.722 --> 00:15.972 (applause) 00:19.620 --> 00:20.870 - Good morning. 00:24.864 --> 00:27.532 Good morning, please grab a seat. 00:27.532 --> 00:29.782 (applause) 00:34.294 --> 00:37.520 I assure you, Mr. Vice-President, 00:37.520 --> 00:39.672 that is for you, not for me. 00:39.672 --> 00:41.922 (laughter) 00:44.160 --> 00:46.446 Thank you for welcoming the Vice-President, 00:46.446 --> 00:48.279 ladies and gentlemen. 00:48.279 --> 00:49.680 (laughter) 00:49.680 --> 00:51.490 They usually don't do anything like that 00:51.490 --> 00:53.850 when I'm talking alone, sir, I assure you. 00:53.850 --> 00:57.660 But Mr. Vice-President, Deputy Secretary Shanahan 00:57.660 --> 01:00.570 General Selva, all the members of the defense community 01:00.570 --> 01:02.770 here today, thank you for joining us. 01:02.770 --> 01:04.390 It's a great day for the Pentagon 01:04.390 --> 01:07.120 when we have our Vice-President here, of course. 01:07.120 --> 01:08.873 And I would just tell you, Mr. Vice-President, 01:08.873 --> 01:12.640 it's a pleasure to have you back here at the Pentagon today. 01:12.640 --> 01:15.530 And it's with a great deal of gratitude on many issues, 01:15.530 --> 01:18.660 but specifically this issue for your leadership 01:18.660 --> 01:22.100 and what you've done to remove any obstacles in our path 01:22.100 --> 01:24.780 as only a Vice-President can do. 01:24.780 --> 01:27.790 Space is one of our vital national interests 01:27.790 --> 01:31.085 in the sense of our use of space, our operations in space, 01:31.085 --> 01:35.820 and it is becoming a contested warfighting domain 01:35.820 --> 01:38.090 and we have got to adapt to that reality. 01:38.090 --> 01:42.120 It's on par with the land, air, sea, and cyberspace domains 01:42.120 --> 01:44.630 in terms of it being contested. 01:44.630 --> 01:48.170 And it's now a domain in which we must be equally prepared 01:48.170 --> 01:49.700 as all of those other domains. 01:49.700 --> 01:51.260 It's no longer a new domain. 01:51.260 --> 01:54.660 It's a domain, and we've got to be able to compete 01:54.660 --> 01:57.500 to deter and to win. 01:57.500 --> 02:00.130 And following your remarks, Mr. Vice-President, 02:00.130 --> 02:02.800 the Department of Defense will release our space report 02:02.800 --> 02:05.150 to Congress reinforcing the specifics 02:05.150 --> 02:07.290 on how we're going to carry this forward. 02:07.290 --> 02:10.960 And that report reflects a clear-eyed view 02:10.960 --> 02:12.840 of the future as the department takes 02:12.840 --> 02:15.380 the steps necessary now to implement 02:15.380 --> 02:18.160 President Trump's vision for a space force. 02:18.160 --> 02:20.770 Ladies and gentlemen, it's my honor to introduce 02:20.770 --> 02:22.100 the Vice-President of the United States, 02:22.100 --> 02:23.727 Vice-President Pence, thank you, sir. 02:23.727 --> 02:25.977 (applause) 02:37.245 --> 02:38.245 - Thank you. 02:43.230 --> 02:46.690 Secretary Mattis, Deputy Secretary Shanahan, 02:46.690 --> 02:49.663 General Selva, General Goldfein, 02:50.890 --> 02:54.610 members of the Armed Forces of the United States of America, 02:54.610 --> 02:57.570 and all of the men and women of the United States 02:57.570 --> 03:00.200 Department of Defense, who each and every day 03:01.150 --> 03:05.230 oversee the greatest military in the history of the world. 03:05.230 --> 03:10.230 Thank you for all you do every day for the American people. 03:11.134 --> 03:13.384 (applause) 03:19.350 --> 03:20.880 It's my great honor, Mr. Secretary, 03:20.880 --> 03:24.380 to join you here today at the Pentagon. 03:24.380 --> 03:26.940 And let me begin by bringing greetings 03:26.940 --> 03:29.180 from your commander-in-chief, 03:29.180 --> 03:31.990 who has from the very earliest days of this administration 03:31.990 --> 03:34.790 proved himself to be a great champion 03:34.790 --> 03:36.890 of the Armed Forces of the United States, 03:36.890 --> 03:39.580 committed to strengthening American security 03:39.580 --> 03:42.740 here on earth and in space. 03:42.740 --> 03:44.620 I bring greetings from the 45th 03:44.620 --> 03:47.410 President of the United States of America, 03:47.410 --> 03:49.294 President Donald Trump. 03:49.294 --> 03:51.544 (applause) 03:59.070 --> 04:01.670 In his inaugural address to the nation, 04:01.670 --> 04:03.840 President Trump proclaimed that the United States 04:03.840 --> 04:08.310 stands, in his words, at the birth of a new millennium, 04:08.310 --> 04:12.290 ready to unlock the mysteries of space. 04:12.290 --> 04:14.040 And since day one of our administration, 04:14.040 --> 04:16.570 this President has kept his promise 04:16.570 --> 04:21.430 to restore America's proud legacy of leadership in space, 04:21.430 --> 04:24.870 believing that space is essential to our nation's security, 04:24.870 --> 04:27.623 prosperity, and our very way of life. 04:28.500 --> 04:31.340 Last year, after it had lain dormant 04:31.340 --> 04:32.630 for nearly a quarter of a century, 04:32.630 --> 04:35.720 President Trump revived the National Space Council 04:35.720 --> 04:37.849 to reinvigorate and coordinate space activities 04:37.849 --> 04:40.180 across our government. 04:40.180 --> 04:42.540 It's my great honor, as Vice-President, 04:42.540 --> 04:45.400 to serve as the chairman of the National Space Council. 04:45.400 --> 04:47.060 And I'm pleased to report that President Trump 04:47.060 --> 04:50.800 has already signed three new space policy directives 04:50.800 --> 04:54.540 to reorient our space program toward human exploration, 04:54.540 --> 04:58.450 unleash America's burgeoning commercial space companies, 04:58.450 --> 05:00.996 and safeguard our vital space assets 05:00.996 --> 05:03.963 with new space traffic management policy. 05:04.870 --> 05:06.630 But as commander-in-chief, 05:06.630 --> 05:08.980 President Trump's highest priority 05:08.980 --> 05:12.700 is the safety and security of the American people. 05:12.700 --> 05:15.710 And while too often previous administrations 05:15.710 --> 05:18.540 all but neglected the growing security threats 05:18.540 --> 05:22.810 emerging in space, President Trump stated clearly 05:22.810 --> 05:26.360 and forcefully that space is, in his words, 05:26.360 --> 05:31.360 a warfighting domain just like land and air and sea. 05:32.730 --> 05:35.600 And just as we've done in ages past, 05:35.600 --> 05:38.190 the United States of America, under his leadership, 05:38.190 --> 05:42.660 will meet the emerging threats on this new battlefield 05:42.660 --> 05:45.580 with American ingenuity and strength, 05:45.580 --> 05:48.588 to defend our nation, protect our people, 05:48.588 --> 05:52.590 and carry the cause of liberty and peace 05:52.590 --> 05:55.223 into the next great American frontier. 05:56.960 --> 06:01.180 In 1939, at the start of the Second World War, 06:01.180 --> 06:04.173 the U.S. Army Air Corps was still a fledgling organization. 06:05.010 --> 06:06.740 But as Nazi air forces bombed their way 06:06.740 --> 06:08.960 from Warsaw to London, our military commanders 06:08.960 --> 06:13.960 took decisive action then to meet that new threat head on. 06:15.520 --> 06:19.241 By 1945, the American military had nearly 30 times 06:19.241 --> 06:23.080 the number of planes and 85 times the number of pilots 06:23.080 --> 06:26.830 and support crews compared to just six years earlier. 06:26.830 --> 06:28.874 America and our allies emerged victorious 06:28.874 --> 06:32.550 from World War II because of the strength 06:32.550 --> 06:35.330 of our armed forces and because our armed forces 06:35.330 --> 06:38.493 adapted to meet the emerging threats of the day. 06:39.570 --> 06:42.170 We knew that airpower had forever changed the nature of war, 06:42.170 --> 06:44.870 so we marshaled the resources and the will 06:44.870 --> 06:47.790 to build the most powerful air force 06:47.790 --> 06:49.853 the world had ever seen. 06:50.900 --> 06:54.020 And just two years after that terrible conflict 06:54.020 --> 06:56.660 our nation created a new branch of service 06:56.660 --> 06:58.840 to secure American dominance in the skies 06:58.840 --> 07:01.316 for generations to come with the creation 07:01.316 --> 07:04.293 of the United States Air Force. 07:05.370 --> 07:08.650 Now the time has come to write the next great chapter 07:08.650 --> 07:10.930 in the history of our armed forces. 07:10.930 --> 07:13.240 To prepare for the next battlefield, 07:13.240 --> 07:15.130 where America's best and bravest will be called 07:15.130 --> 07:16.920 to deter and defeat a new generation 07:16.920 --> 07:20.203 of threats to our people and to our nation. 07:21.070 --> 07:22.898 The time has come to establish 07:22.898 --> 07:26.453 the United States Space Force. 07:28.150 --> 07:30.000 And that's what brings us here today. 07:30.960 --> 07:34.240 Seven weeks ago President Trump directed 07:34.240 --> 07:36.760 the Department of Defense to immediately begin 07:36.760 --> 07:39.209 the process necessary to establish a space force 07:39.209 --> 07:42.113 as the sixth branch of the armed forces. 07:42.980 --> 07:44.930 The President made it clear that our ultimate objective 07:44.930 --> 07:47.850 is to create a new branch of our military 07:47.850 --> 07:51.710 that's separate from and equal to five other branches. 07:51.710 --> 07:54.650 Today the Department of Defense will release a report 07:54.650 --> 07:58.040 outlining the first stages of our administration's plan 07:58.040 --> 08:00.650 to implement the President's guidance 08:00.650 --> 08:03.363 and turn his vision into a reality. 08:04.360 --> 08:07.530 This report reviews the national security space activities 08:07.530 --> 08:09.050 within the Department of Defense, 08:09.050 --> 08:12.000 and it identifies concrete steps 08:12.000 --> 08:14.650 that our administration will take to lay the foundation 08:14.650 --> 08:16.753 for a new department of the space force. 08:17.660 --> 08:19.170 Now to be clear, this space force will not 08:19.170 --> 08:22.450 be built from scratch because the men and women 08:22.450 --> 08:25.083 who run and protect our nation's space programs 08:25.083 --> 08:28.160 today are already the best in the world. 08:28.160 --> 08:30.620 And since the dawn of the Space Age, 08:30.620 --> 08:35.131 America has remained the best in space. 08:35.131 --> 08:37.381 (applause) 08:45.510 --> 08:47.250 Over the past 60 years 08:47.250 --> 08:48.920 the United States has assembled the largest 08:48.920 --> 08:51.630 and most sophisticated constellation of military 08:51.630 --> 08:53.910 and intelligence satellites in the world. 08:53.910 --> 08:56.280 We've pioneered the technology to leverage American 08:56.280 --> 08:58.260 power in space here on earth 08:59.120 --> 09:02.800 and give our warfighters the intelligence that they need 09:02.800 --> 09:04.445 and give our intelligence community 09:04.445 --> 09:08.720 the information they need to maintain a strategic advantage 09:08.720 --> 09:10.853 wherever our warfighters are operating. 09:11.860 --> 09:15.220 Across this department and our intelligence agency 09:15.220 --> 09:18.210 there are literally tens of thousands of military personnel, 09:18.210 --> 09:20.381 civilians and contractors, operating and supporting 09:20.381 --> 09:22.640 our space systems. 09:22.640 --> 09:24.470 And together they're the eyes and ears 09:24.470 --> 09:28.200 of America's warfighters around the globe. 09:28.200 --> 09:30.213 They do a remarkable job. 09:30.213 --> 09:33.100 I've seen their work firsthand. 09:33.100 --> 09:34.930 I traveled across the county to meet with the men and women 09:34.930 --> 09:38.220 who are fighting for America's future in space 09:38.220 --> 09:40.640 in my first year-and-a-half on this job. 09:40.640 --> 09:42.410 From the airmen of the 50th Space Wing 09:42.410 --> 09:44.864 at Schriever Air Force Base, whose fleet of 09:44.864 --> 09:47.287 surveillance navigation and communication satellites 09:47.287 --> 09:51.790 increase the agility, precision, and effectiveness 09:51.790 --> 09:53.720 of our armed forces, 09:53.720 --> 09:56.070 to the engineers of the Missile Defense Agency 09:56.070 --> 09:57.810 at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama 09:57.810 --> 09:59.364 who are forging the next generation of rockets 09:59.364 --> 10:02.670 to strengthen our missile defense, 10:02.670 --> 10:05.052 to the many other bases and facilities across the country 10:05.052 --> 10:07.990 where our men and women in uniform work together 10:07.990 --> 10:10.380 with our intelligence community and our allies 10:10.380 --> 10:13.457 to protect our people, our nation, 10:13.457 --> 10:16.040 and our interests around the world. 10:16.040 --> 10:18.100 And over the past 18 months, 10:18.100 --> 10:19.990 President Trump and our entire administration 10:19.990 --> 10:21.680 have taken decisive action to strengthen 10:21.680 --> 10:24.190 American power in space as well. 10:24.190 --> 10:28.000 President Trump recently signed the largest investment 10:28.000 --> 10:32.431 in our national defense since the days of Ronald Reagan. 10:32.431 --> 10:34.681 (applause) 10:42.730 --> 10:45.510 And that new defense budget included new resources 10:45.510 --> 10:48.160 for two cutting-edge military communications satellites 10:48.160 --> 10:52.040 and nearly a billion dollars for our space defense programs. 10:52.040 --> 10:53.786 And today we renew the President's call 10:53.786 --> 10:56.240 on the Congress of the United States 10:56.240 --> 10:58.800 to invest an additional $8 billion 10:58.800 --> 11:03.130 in our space security systems over the next five years. 11:03.130 --> 11:04.410 The men and women of this department 11:04.410 --> 11:05.790 have also taken historic steps 11:05.790 --> 11:08.660 to secure American leadership in space. 11:08.660 --> 11:10.840 At the direction of Secretary Mattis, 11:10.840 --> 11:12.940 the Department of Defense is fielding a new generation 11:12.940 --> 11:17.280 of jam-resistant GPS and communications satellites 11:17.280 --> 11:19.749 and new missile warning satellites 11:19.749 --> 11:20.984 that are smaller, tougher, 11:20.984 --> 11:23.670 and more maneuverable than ever before. 11:23.670 --> 11:26.510 And while these steps have been vital 11:26.510 --> 11:30.253 to our national defense, they are really only a beginning. 11:31.360 --> 11:33.740 They're only the beginning of meeting the rising security 11:33.740 --> 11:38.740 threats our nation faces in space today and in the future. 11:39.430 --> 11:41.230 As President Trump has said in his words 11:41.230 --> 11:43.240 it is not enough to merely have 11:43.240 --> 11:45.658 an American presence in space, 11:45.658 --> 11:50.658 we must have American dominance in space, and so we will. 11:51.187 --> 11:53.437 (applause) 12:00.620 --> 12:02.497 And that's precisely why we're beginning the process 12:02.497 --> 12:05.120 of establishing the space force as the sixth branch 12:05.120 --> 12:06.950 of our armed forces. 12:06.950 --> 12:09.910 Just as in the past when we created the Air Force, 12:09.910 --> 12:13.573 establishing the space force is an idea whose time has come. 12:14.410 --> 12:16.250 The space environment has fundamentally changed 12:16.250 --> 12:18.120 in the last generation. 12:18.120 --> 12:20.810 What was once peaceful and uncontested 12:20.810 --> 12:24.813 is now crowded and adversarial. 12:25.910 --> 12:28.640 Today other nations are seeking to disrupt 12:28.640 --> 12:30.480 our space-based systems and challenge 12:30.480 --> 12:33.863 American supremacy in space as never before. 12:34.820 --> 12:37.867 For many years nations from Russia and China 12:37.867 --> 12:39.580 to North Korea and Iran have pursued weapons 12:39.580 --> 12:42.070 to jam, blind, and disable our navigation 12:42.070 --> 12:44.130 and communications satellites 12:44.130 --> 12:46.633 via electronic attacks from the ground. 12:47.540 --> 12:50.470 But recently our adversaries have been working 12:50.470 --> 12:54.133 to bring new weapons of war into space itself. 12:55.100 --> 12:58.010 In 2007, China launched a missile 12:58.010 --> 13:00.500 that tracked and destroyed one of its own satellites, 13:00.500 --> 13:04.171 a highly provocative demonstration of China's growing 13:04.171 --> 13:08.070 capability to militarize space. 13:08.070 --> 13:09.900 Russia's been designing an airborne laser 13:09.900 --> 13:11.470 to disrupt our space-based system, 13:11.470 --> 13:13.800 and it claims to be developing missiles 13:13.800 --> 13:16.440 that can be launched from an aircraft mid-flight 13:16.440 --> 13:18.413 to destroy American satellites. 13:19.370 --> 13:20.564 Both China and Russia have been conducting 13:20.564 --> 13:24.340 highly sophisticated on-orbit activities 13:24.340 --> 13:26.490 that could enable them to maneuver their satellites 13:26.490 --> 13:28.850 into close proximity of ours, 13:28.850 --> 13:31.883 posing unprecedented new dangers to our space systems. 13:33.030 --> 13:34.866 Both nations are also investing heavily 13:34.866 --> 13:38.190 in what are known as hypersonic missiles 13:38.190 --> 13:40.200 designed to fly up to five miles per second 13:40.200 --> 13:43.030 at such low altitudes that they could potentially 13:43.030 --> 13:46.920 evade detection by our missile defense radars. 13:46.920 --> 13:48.807 In fact, China claimed to have made its first successful 13:48.807 --> 13:52.893 test of a hypersonic vehicle just last week. 13:54.040 --> 13:56.020 China and Russia are also aggressively working 13:56.020 --> 13:57.850 to incorporate anti-satellite attacks 13:57.850 --> 14:00.290 into their warfighting doctrines. 14:00.290 --> 14:05.290 In 2015, China created a separate military enterprise 14:05.460 --> 14:07.420 to oversee and prioritize its 14:07.420 --> 14:10.233 warfighting capabilities in space. 14:11.290 --> 14:12.690 As their actions make clear, 14:13.900 --> 14:15.890 our adversaries have transformed space 14:15.890 --> 14:19.360 into a warfighting domain already. 14:19.360 --> 14:23.280 And the United States will not shrink from this challenge. 14:23.280 --> 14:25.530 (applause) 14:34.430 --> 14:35.790 Under President Trump's leadership 14:35.790 --> 14:38.290 we will meet it head on to defend our nation 14:38.290 --> 14:40.561 and build a peaceful future 14:40.561 --> 14:43.963 here on earth and in space. 14:44.820 --> 14:48.350 America will always seek peace in space as on the earth. 14:48.350 --> 14:52.583 But history proves that peace only comes through strength. 14:52.583 --> 14:54.790 And in the realm of outer space, 14:54.790 --> 14:56.900 the United States Space Force 14:56.900 --> 15:00.313 will be that strength in the years ahead. 15:01.698 --> 15:03.948 (applause) 15:06.140 --> 15:10.450 Now the report the Department of Defense will release today 15:10.450 --> 15:13.570 that Secretary Mattis just referenced 15:13.570 --> 15:15.660 represents a critical step toward establishing 15:15.660 --> 15:18.300 the space force as the sixth branch of our armed forces. 15:18.300 --> 15:21.700 It actually identifies four actions that we will take 15:21.700 --> 15:23.500 to evolve our space capabilities. 15:23.500 --> 15:26.173 And they are built on the lessons of the past. 15:27.410 --> 15:30.690 We all remember the hard lesson learned 15:30.690 --> 15:35.030 in the early 1980s as the tragic debacle 15:35.030 --> 15:37.860 of Desert One took place. 15:37.860 --> 15:40.440 Eight American patriots fell in the line of duty 15:40.440 --> 15:42.260 while trying to rescue their fellow Americans 15:42.260 --> 15:44.483 who were being held hostage in Iran. 15:45.580 --> 15:47.453 In the wake of that failed mission, 15:48.610 --> 15:51.410 America resolved to ensure that our joint warfighters 15:51.410 --> 15:53.152 would always have the training, coordination, 15:53.152 --> 15:56.720 and leadership they needed to accomplish their missions. 15:56.720 --> 15:58.420 And the steps that our nation took 15:58.420 --> 15:59.450 in the years that followed 15:59.450 --> 16:01.750 paved the way for the creation of the 16:01.750 --> 16:04.573 United States Special Operations Command. 16:05.550 --> 16:08.870 Since that time, this vital combatant command 16:08.870 --> 16:10.997 has directed our special operations forces 16:10.997 --> 16:13.720 to become the most effective and lethal 16:13.720 --> 16:17.327 fighting force in the history of the world. 16:17.327 --> 16:19.577 (applause) 16:25.720 --> 16:28.450 Our special operations forces, through this unified command, 16:28.450 --> 16:30.460 have been defending our security 16:30.460 --> 16:33.745 and advancing interests as they do to this very hour, 16:33.745 --> 16:35.693 in every corner of the globe. 16:36.640 --> 16:39.490 Along those same lines, today's report calls 16:39.490 --> 16:41.160 for the creation of a new unified 16:41.160 --> 16:43.320 combatant command for space, 16:43.320 --> 16:46.120 the United States Space Command. 16:46.120 --> 16:47.022 This new command structure 16:47.022 --> 16:50.210 for the physical domain of space 16:50.210 --> 16:52.040 led by a four-star flag officer, 16:52.040 --> 16:53.730 will establish unified command and control 16:53.730 --> 16:56.300 for our space force operations, 16:56.300 --> 16:58.060 ensure integration across the military, 16:58.060 --> 17:01.040 and develop the space warfighting doctrine, tactics, 17:01.040 --> 17:04.193 techniques, and procedures of the future. 17:05.320 --> 17:08.460 The second step this report calls for 17:08.460 --> 17:11.280 is the creation of an elite group of joint warfighters 17:11.280 --> 17:14.050 specializing in the domain of space, 17:14.050 --> 17:15.240 who will form the backbone 17:15.240 --> 17:17.540 of the nation's newest armed service, 17:17.540 --> 17:19.453 space operations force. 17:20.290 --> 17:22.110 Just like our special operations forces, 17:22.110 --> 17:25.050 a space operations force will draw men and women 17:25.050 --> 17:27.200 from across the military 17:27.200 --> 17:31.530 and will grow into their own unique and cohesive community. 17:31.530 --> 17:33.106 They'll support the combatant commands 17:33.106 --> 17:36.440 by providing space expertise in times 17:36.440 --> 17:38.483 of crisis and conflict. 17:39.370 --> 17:41.290 Third, this report calls for the creation 17:41.290 --> 17:44.910 of a new joint organization, the Space Development Agency, 17:44.910 --> 17:47.040 that will ensure the men and women of the space force 17:47.040 --> 17:49.617 have the cutting-edge warfighting capabilities 17:49.617 --> 17:51.593 that they need and deserve. 17:52.460 --> 17:54.820 While our adversaries have been busy weaponizing space, 17:54.820 --> 17:58.000 too often we have bureaucratized it. 17:58.000 --> 18:00.024 And over time our ability to adapt 18:00.024 --> 18:02.790 to new and emerging threats has been stifled 18:02.790 --> 18:04.680 by needless layers of red tape. 18:04.680 --> 18:07.010 The Space Development Agency will break free 18:07.010 --> 18:10.210 from ineffective and duplicative bureaucratic structures 18:10.210 --> 18:12.642 to focus on innovation, experimentation, 18:12.642 --> 18:15.163 and forging the technologies of the future. 18:16.110 --> 18:17.590 Men and women of the Department of Defense 18:17.590 --> 18:20.081 have pioneered some of the most groundbreaking discoveries 18:20.081 --> 18:22.294 in our armed forces that literally have 18:22.294 --> 18:27.210 revolutionized our national defense in times of need. 18:27.210 --> 18:28.760 From General Schriever's creation 18:28.760 --> 18:30.330 of the intercontinental ballistic missile 18:30.330 --> 18:32.310 to Admiral Rickover's development 18:32.310 --> 18:35.240 of the Navy's nuclear enterprise. 18:35.240 --> 18:38.870 And now we must do our part to make bold breakthroughs 18:38.870 --> 18:41.220 to strengthen America's industrial base 18:41.220 --> 18:43.540 and deliver the cutting-edge warfighting capabilities 18:43.540 --> 18:47.090 faster than our adversaries could ever imagine. 18:47.090 --> 18:50.408 And that's exactly what Americans will do. 18:50.408 --> 18:52.658 (applause) 18:59.550 --> 19:01.690 Finally, this report calls for clear lines 19:01.690 --> 19:04.350 of responsibility and accountability. 19:04.350 --> 19:07.580 Demands the process of standing up and scaling up 19:07.580 --> 19:10.760 the United States Department of the Space Force. 19:10.760 --> 19:12.330 Creating a new branch in the military 19:12.330 --> 19:14.170 is not a simple process. 19:14.170 --> 19:16.010 It will require collaboration, diligence, 19:16.010 --> 19:17.760 and above all, leadership. 19:17.760 --> 19:20.510 As challenges arise, deadlines approach, 19:20.510 --> 19:22.500 there must be someone in charge who can execute, 19:22.500 --> 19:23.500 hold others accountable, 19:23.500 --> 19:24.900 and be responsible for the results. 19:24.900 --> 19:28.170 So we will create a single civilian position 19:28.170 --> 19:30.442 reporting to the Secretary of Defense 19:30.442 --> 19:32.638 to oversee the growth and expansion 19:32.638 --> 19:35.210 of this new branch of the service. 19:35.210 --> 19:37.610 This position will be a new assistant 19:37.610 --> 19:40.260 secretary of defense for space, 19:40.260 --> 19:42.216 and this leader will be key to the critical 19:42.216 --> 19:45.780 transition to a fully independent secretary 19:45.780 --> 19:47.863 of the space force in the years ahead. 19:49.430 --> 19:51.800 President Trump and I are grateful, 19:51.800 --> 19:54.335 truly grateful to Secretary Mattis 19:54.335 --> 19:58.370 for this department's diligence in preparing this report. 19:58.370 --> 20:00.030 And our administration will soon take action 20:00.030 --> 20:01.910 to implement these recommendations 20:01.910 --> 20:04.240 with the objective of establishing the United States 20:04.240 --> 20:08.573 Department of the Space Force by the year 2020. 20:10.270 --> 20:11.315 Ultimately, Congress must act 20:11.315 --> 20:15.090 to establish this new department, 20:15.090 --> 20:16.810 which will organize, train, and equip 20:16.810 --> 20:18.990 the United States Space Force. 20:18.990 --> 20:20.720 Our administration's already working with leaders 20:20.720 --> 20:22.910 in the Congress to do just that. 20:22.910 --> 20:24.930 We're building bipartisan support for our plan, 20:24.930 --> 20:27.516 working closely with committee counterparts 20:27.516 --> 20:29.520 like Congressman Mack Thornberry, 20:29.520 --> 20:32.540 Congress Adam Smith, Congressman Mike Rogers, 20:32.540 --> 20:34.253 and Congressman Jim Cooper. 20:35.170 --> 20:37.770 Next February in the President's budget 20:37.770 --> 20:40.420 we will call on the Congress to marshal the resources 20:40.420 --> 20:43.470 we need to stand up, the space force. 20:43.470 --> 20:44.610 And before the end of next year 20:44.610 --> 20:46.780 our administration will work with the Congress 20:46.780 --> 20:50.460 to enact the statutory authority for the space force 20:50.460 --> 20:52.773 in the National Defense Authorization Act. 20:53.672 --> 20:56.685 Our nation's armed forces have always been 20:56.685 --> 21:00.665 the vanguard of advancing American leadership 21:00.665 --> 21:03.460 here on earth and beyond. 21:03.460 --> 21:06.344 The space force is the next and natural evolution 21:06.344 --> 21:09.583 of American military strength. 21:10.770 --> 21:13.870 The first American rockets in space 21:13.870 --> 21:16.000 were launched by our military. 21:16.000 --> 21:18.440 The first American satellites to orbit the earth 21:18.440 --> 21:20.029 were on reconnaissance missions 21:20.029 --> 21:21.763 peering behind the Iron Curtain. 21:22.650 --> 21:24.440 The first Americans to step forward to venture 21:24.440 --> 21:27.730 into the unknown were the world's greatest aviators 21:27.730 --> 21:31.020 and test pilots from the Navy, the Air Force, 21:31.020 --> 21:32.070 and the Marine Corps. 21:32.970 --> 21:36.283 In the next generation of Americans to confront 21:36.283 --> 21:39.594 the emerging threats and the boundless expanse of space 21:39.594 --> 21:42.780 will be wearing the uniform of the 21:42.780 --> 21:46.031 United States of America as well. 21:46.031 --> 21:48.281 (applause) 21:56.430 --> 21:58.100 And I'll promise you, your commander-in-chief's going to 21:58.100 --> 22:01.170 continue to work tirelessly toward this goal, 22:01.170 --> 22:03.730 and we expect you all to do the same. 22:03.730 --> 22:06.840 And to all of the men and women of this department 22:06.840 --> 22:09.630 this is the moment, now is the time 22:10.480 --> 22:13.790 to act quickly using all the tools at your disposal 22:13.790 --> 22:16.300 to lead our nation forward 22:16.300 --> 22:18.180 with President Trump's vision 22:18.180 --> 22:20.310 to meet the challenges that lie ahead. 22:20.310 --> 22:22.270 There's much work to do. 22:22.270 --> 22:25.950 Success will demand the very best of each of you. 22:25.950 --> 22:29.120 So be bold; be creative, 22:29.120 --> 22:32.453 unencumbered by the past or the status quo. 22:33.540 --> 22:36.420 And remember when it comes to defending our nation 22:36.420 --> 22:38.833 and protecting our way of life, 22:38.833 --> 22:42.223 the only thing we can't afford is inaction. 22:43.230 --> 22:46.380 The American people deserve our very best 22:46.380 --> 22:47.480 and they will have it. 22:50.270 --> 22:51.530 As the President will discuss 22:51.530 --> 22:54.130 in further detail in the days ahead, 22:54.130 --> 22:57.100 the United States Space Force will strengthen our security. 22:57.100 --> 22:59.333 It'll ensure our prosperity. 23:00.360 --> 23:04.090 And it will also carry American ideals 23:04.090 --> 23:05.913 into the boundless expanse of space. 23:07.410 --> 23:09.070 All other nations increasingly possess 23:09.070 --> 23:11.845 the capability to operate in space, 23:11.845 --> 23:15.079 not all of them share our commitment to freedom, 23:15.079 --> 23:17.973 private property, and the rule of law. 23:19.120 --> 23:22.683 So as we continue to carry American leadership in space, 23:23.630 --> 23:28.630 so also will we carry America's commitment to freedom 23:28.950 --> 23:30.523 into this new frontier. 23:31.528 --> 23:33.778 (applause) 23:41.393 --> 23:43.660 So this is the moment, now is the time to do 23:43.660 --> 23:46.500 as Americans have always done in ages past. 23:46.500 --> 23:48.360 To lead with strength and a pioneering spirit 23:48.360 --> 23:49.203 into the future. 23:50.260 --> 23:52.440 And under the leadership of President Trump, 23:52.440 --> 23:54.650 our commander-in-chief, we will take 23:54.650 --> 23:57.610 the first bold steps to ensure our security 23:57.610 --> 24:01.113 on earth and in outer space with renewed American strength. 24:02.380 --> 24:05.653 And as we embark, we do so with faith. 24:06.780 --> 24:09.185 Faith in all of you, who've answered the call 24:09.185 --> 24:13.440 to serve in the uniform of the United States of America 24:13.440 --> 24:16.420 at such a time as this in the life of our nation. 24:16.420 --> 24:18.418 Faith to all of the incredible civilian personnel 24:18.418 --> 24:21.640 who serve here in the Department of Defense 24:21.640 --> 24:23.513 with equal devotion to our nation. 24:24.840 --> 24:28.293 And we do so with that other kind of faith as well. 24:29.500 --> 24:33.460 Just as generations of Americans have carried 24:33.460 --> 24:36.460 those who have taken to the skies in the defense 24:36.460 --> 24:39.180 of freedom borne upon their prayers 24:39.180 --> 24:41.170 I want to assure all of you who will be called 24:41.170 --> 24:44.603 to this enterprise that you can be confident. 24:45.700 --> 24:47.550 You can be confident that you will go 24:48.390 --> 24:50.050 with the prayers of millions of Americans 24:50.050 --> 24:51.500 who will claim on your behalf 24:52.660 --> 24:57.660 as generations have claimed before those ancient words 24:59.070 --> 25:00.710 that if you rise on the wings of the dawn 25:00.710 --> 25:02.710 if you settle on the far side of the sea 25:03.830 --> 25:05.760 even if you go up to the heavens, 25:05.760 --> 25:09.110 even there His hand will guide you, 25:09.110 --> 25:12.880 His right hand will hold you fast. 25:12.880 --> 25:16.463 And He will hold fast this great nation in the great beyond. 25:18.200 --> 25:20.820 So thank you for your service to the country 25:20.820 --> 25:22.230 for all of you that have been called to serve 25:22.230 --> 25:23.950 in our armed forces. 25:23.950 --> 25:25.540 With your unwavering commitment, 25:25.540 --> 25:28.910 with courage of our men and women in uniform 25:28.910 --> 25:30.650 with the continued support of the American people 25:30.650 --> 25:33.760 with the vision and leadership of our commander-in-chief 25:33.760 --> 25:34.760 and with God's help. 25:35.750 --> 25:38.660 I know we will give America the defense she needs 25:38.660 --> 25:43.370 here on earth and the outer reaches of space. 25:43.370 --> 25:45.380 Thank you and God bless you 25:45.380 --> 25:48.293 and God bless the United States of America. 25:49.299 --> 25:51.632 (applause)